Living

Thank you Shopify for sponsoring this post. Track your holiday shipments in one place with the new Arrive app!

Admittedly I was a late adapter to the phenomenon of online shopping. I’m still not all the way in, matter of fact I just utilized the one click option on Amazon for the first time the other day when I went to search for an item I couldn’t find in the store. I pushed one button and the item showed up on my porch today. Scared me so that I had to go back and double check what account was linked and double check the balance because I was sure it was going to ask me to confirm. In the event you were wondering, One click really means one click.

As tech savvy as I am, I’m still in awe at how fast and convenient online shopping is when all the pieces work together.

One of the reasons I think I’m a little leery of online shopping for certain items is, I’m all for not delaying my gratification. Once I pay for an item I want to leave with it.The thought of chasing down the UPS man and stalking tracking numbers for delivery dates has often kept me away from indulging in online shopping like most of the people I know.

Another area of contention for me with online shopping in the past has been keeping track of ship dates and tracking information. This Christmas I alleviated that qualm by downloading the Shopify Arrive app. The Shopify Arrive app is so convenient. Basically, Arrive lets you track any package from any online store in real time.The Vtech Kiddie Zoom I ordered a few days ago showed up on the app a few hours after I ordered it and I was able to track it through the app all the way to my front porch.

How does it work? Glad you asked

Arrive syncs with your gmail account and will track everything you order across all online retailers. If you run an online store or Etsy shop the app also tracks orders that you send out. This makes this app serve an extra purpose for me, in addition to my online store that runs on Shopify I also run an Etsy shop for my monogrammed items and the app updates me when my Etsy orders have reached their destination. This saves me so much time. If you don’t know what to sell on Shopify yet, that’s ok! Check out this guide about running a dropshipping niche or general store and which is best for you as it may help you decide what to sell!

Whether or not you are a heavy online shopper this app will work its magic far past the holidays putting all of your orders right at your fingertips on your phone’s home screen. This convenience just might make me an online shopping fan.

Are you an online shopper or do you need to leave the store with your purchases?!

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of CLEVER and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

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I’m not feeling Christmas this year, at all. Clutch your pearls at the fact that we just got a Christmas tree yesterday, as in December 18, one week before Christmas. Clearly we were way tardy to the party because we had to peruse about 4 lots of Charlie Brown “womp womp” trees before we found one. Went to decorate it and as  we started searching for the lights I conveniently remembered I tossed them all out last year because I was going to buy all new ones during the after Christmas sale.

That didn’t happen.

So now we have a tree with no lights and due to a child not cleaning her room, and folks consistently failing to discard of their hot chocolate debris I’ve yelled Christmas is cancelled more times than I care to mention.

Before you call me a Grinch, I vow to gather myself and salvage the remainder of the Christmas season with some semblance of joyfulness complete with a show of twinkling lights and baked cookies and Christmas movies.

Well the elf has been moving around a bit. That has to count for something.

This weekend was a busy one as most of them are. I suppose I move around so much that I don’t realize it until people bring it to my attention. Sometimes I wonder if my life is really that full of amazing people and places to go or am I over committing myself. Trust me, figuring that puzzle out is at the very top of my 2018 list.

Went to Ikea twice this weekend because I can’t quite come to terms with the shower curtain and rug for the bathroom makeover. I’ve resolved to understanding that what I am looking for doesn’t lie in the twist and turns of the Ikea maze. I give up.

My Friday night dinner consisted of Varsity onion rings and a fried peach pie. It was a long week.

Saturday night we had a late dinner with friends.

Sunday I had brunch with one of my favorite people for her birthday….and stood in line at Ikea again. If you’ve never been to Ikea on a Sunday, you’ve missed nothing except heartache and frustration.

Thank you so much to those of you that took out the time to fill out my blog survey. I know it doesn’t work on mobile, but if you are on a desktop and haven’t filled it out yet if you wouldn’t mind giving me your thoughts and feedback on how I’m doing over here I’d appreciate it. 

Due to the overwhelming response of respondents wanting to see my family’s weekend vlogs make a come back I did film this weekend and hopefully I’ll stay on track and get back to doing them regularly.

Hope you are having a great week. How was your weekend?

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I take it you all noticed I didn’t finish my blog every day in November challenge.   I managed to hold on strong through Thanksgiving week, then entertaining company and nursing a nasty cold slowed me all the way down.

I’m inching my way back to feeling like myself with an annoying cough that still hasn’t quite left the building but I am thankful for being able to breath out of my nose without congestion. I keep telling you it is the little things.

…but please don’t ask me about the pile of laundry that always seems to accumulate when I’m out of commission.

As a result of being laid out and sick, Christmas has not happened around here. There are a few haphazard decorations here and there, the elves are moving every few days or so and I still have pumpkins on my porch.  Addison had her first round of Nutcracker performances this past weekend, she has two more shows on Saturday and Sunday, then I feel like I can breathe.

This time of year, like clockwork I start going over what went right in the year and where I missed the mark.

Sunday, after doing a photo shoot at Piedmont Park instead of rushing home, I thought I would take a walk, and some photos. As I walked the park on an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon in December, I took in the beauty of the last bit of color holding on to the trees.  I spent some time thinking about the past year and where I’m headed in 2018. I’m proud to say I really improved in a lot of areas this year and slacked in others but as a whole I am proud of my progress and am ready to close out 2017 with no regrets and usher in 2018 with open arms to give and receive.

Much like leaves fall and start anew in the Spring that’s how I feel about the start of a new year, there is something invigorating about a fresh start. Then again I feel this away about Mondays and the first day of the month. While I know I can essentially start over at any time there is something to be said about the “official” mark of starting a new week, a new month, a new year.

While I was sitting and taking in the calm of the evening hoping to catch the buildings light up, I observed a couple having  engagement photos done and they let go yellow smoke for a photo effect. I watched as it wafted across the lake.

I’ve really been meaning to pick up my camera more for recreational purposes. That stroll in the park with my camera and my thoughts was just what I needed for a little clarity on a few things. That little self care moment was  welcomed and very much needed.

This post was all over the place, very indicative of how I feel these days. Haphazard and free would explain it best. I’m so glad I’m learning to roll with the punches and not sweat the small stuff.

How was your Thanksgiving? Are you deep in Christmas decor? Are you like me, counting down the days until Christmas break?

Be on the look out for a reader survey in the next few days. I really want to take inventory of what brings you here daily, the things you like, the things you don’t like, and what you want to see more or less of as I start planning my content for 2018.

As always, I’m so thankful for you stopping by here. Have a great week!

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